1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials involved in treating cardiovascular tissue with, for example, stem cells.
2. Background Information
Myocardial injury leads to cardiomyocyte loss, ventricular remodeling and consequent impairment of myocardial function. Unfortunately, the mitotic capacity of cardiomyocytes is too limited to support adequate myocardial regeneration. In addition, current therapeutic modalities attenuate disease progression without contributing significantly to myocardial repair.
Pluripotent cells such as embryonic stem cells can proliferate indefinitely in vitro and can differentiate, in vitro, into cells that recapitulate the cardiac phenotype by expressing characteristic cardiac markers and demonstrating functional excitation-contraction coupling. When transplanted into injured hearts, embryonic stem cells can generate cardiomyocytes that repopulate regions of dysfunctional myocardium and improve contractile performance. Pluripotent stem cells, however, can form tumor cells once removed from the native hematopoietic environment.